Snap happy weekend!

Friday consisted of not making dinner so we had a quick little date night then a walk over to Petco but of course, no puppies were there to cuddle. We made our way back home and popped in a movie and fell asleep on the couch. I kind of love when that happens; even though we wake up at 3am with kinked necks.

Saturday was our very first wedding of the year and I have to tell ya, the butterflies were doing circles in my stomach. I don't know why I was so nervous because once I saw the bride and started photographing her details, all the excitement and skill came back to me! We had a long day, but it was worth it! The bride even had a donut waiting for me and said she "knew I loved Holtmans" - umm can you say IDEAL CLIENT?! ;)

Sunday we heard a great message at church about being the hands and feet of Jesus and showing compassion/kindness like He does - and it really inspired us going into a new week.

I had a fun session scheduled with some friends to capture her cute belly, as they are expecting their first baby girl!

That evening I skipped out on youth group because I had WAY too much work to catch up on, and it was much needed. No distractions (except The Office, of course), and it was great!

I'm feeling refreshed and ready to tackle another week!
Hope everyone had a fun weekend!

Friday, but kind of not.

Today is Friday and the office is filled with chocolates, donuts, cake pops and homemade goods. I really thought this wouldn't happen until Valentine's Day, but hey, I'm not complaining. As the Receptionist at my company, I've been thinking about "stepping up" my receptionist game (reminds me of The Office, every time) by bringing in homemade goods, planning fun little events, etc.!

Yesterday at the all-employee quarterly meeting, I was given a plaque for my 5 year work anniversary. I have to say I never thought I would be here for 5 years, but I'm super thankful I have been. It was super sweet to hear the CEO's talk about me so highly and to get the quick little "congrats" from my co workers throughout the day! Although answering phones and keeping track of the conference room schedule isn't my life calling or anything, I'm super grateful God planted me here all those years ago. I've made some really great friendships and have some awesome memories, too!

Transitioning into my other work life now, we have our first wedding of 2017 on the books tomorrow! I have to say Caleb and I are both excited, but a little nervous. This happens every year, before the first wedding, the feeling of "what if we forget how to do this" kicks in. Yet somehow we end up picking up right where we left off and enjoying ourselves and before we know it the day is over.

This week was rather uneventful...if you don't count the night I cut my finger open while cleaning a kitchen knife, ugh.

Some highlights of the week?
Ordering a pizza because who cares on a Monday.
Forgetting responsibilities and starting a new show together.
Getting more paid-time-off because I hit my 5 years at work!
Making my first cup of coffee for the year!

I hope everyone has a fun weekend ahead of them! Make it awesome!

Anxiety.

God is a pretty good matchmaker. Back in 2012, after Caleb and I got engaged we stumbled upon Joe & Amanda's website. We instantly clicked and they became our wedding photographers. Fast forward to 6 weeks after our wedding and they hired us as their first associate photographer team. We're so grateful for their friendship and how awesome they both are. We've learned so much from them as photographers, and friends! Today, I wanted to let Amanda take over my blog and share her heart on the topic of anxiety. I struggle with anxiety a LOT and this hits close to home for me, so I hope you'll tune in and say hi!

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Worry. 

We all do it.

We all have anxieties because we are wired this way. Anxiety is typically defined as a restlessness, an uneasiness, an “anticipation of a future threat.” It’s normative, biological and meant to be a defense mechanism to keep us safe. But sometimes  we worry excessively and things get out of hand. We have intrusive thoughts, we don’t leave our home, we avoid certain people, we resort to self-harm.

I remember the day I casually commented to my husband how every time I drive over a bridge, I think about what I would do if my car went into the water. He just stared at me. Apparently, this was not the way everyone thought. 

All this worry takes up precious space in our days and our minds. Why can’t we just trust?

Isn’t that what it boils down to? It’s an issue of trust and fear and control.

We are untrusting that things will work out. We fear a scary ending. We respond by attempting to control and manipulate and mold the outcome. Otherwise, the world falls apart, right?

When I see a patient for the first time with concerns for anxiety, I teach that a certain amount of holistic self-examination needs to take place. What might I be anxious about? Am I reflecting on a past trauma? Am I dealing with another chronic illness? Am I getting restorative sleep? What has my diet been like lately? Am I becoming too dependent on a particular substance (or behavior) to help me cope? Am I getting consistent exercise? What state are my finances in? What state are my relationships in? Could there be a medical reason for my anxiety? Am I neglecting my spirituality practices? Am I overwhelmed because of the demands on my time? What am I doing that brings me joy? Excellence in all of these areas contribute to happiness and peace.

Once this self-reflection takes place, then we can get on with tacking the healing.

So, these are my recommendations for dealing with anxiety (I use all of these myself DAILY). 

Maintain perspective. Let’s consider the true gravity of all this and put this thing into perspective. Is this really a catastrophe? What are the chances of my fear actually coming to fruition? What will the actual, true result be of the situation that I’m stressing over?

Have a plan. When I’m in a situation where the outcome is unknown, I try to envision the worst possible ending and plan my reaction. If the worst does actually happen (chances are it won’t), I’ll be ready. Having this plan in place gives me another tool in my tool-belt. Increases my confidence. Makes me a little less scared.

Pray your little butt off. Well, really this should be thing #1. But let’s be real. It isn’t, even though it should be. Philippians 4:6-7 tell is this: Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Interrupt anxiety with gratitude. This is one of my absolute favorite Truth Bombs and really a great way to re-wire your brain. Every time a “what-if” comes to your mind, replace it with a “thanks-God.”

Weed out the sources, if possible. What sparks your anxiety? That negative person on Facebook? Hide her. That doomsday co-worker of yours? Limit your conversations. Recognize your sensitivities and restrict your exposure.

See someone about it.  If you think your anxiety might need the help of a professional, consider seeing a therapist or mental health practitioner. There is no shame in this and you are in no way a failure if you have to be on medication to stabilize your anxiety. At the same time, medications are not magic pills and cannot solve all your problems. Remember, the key is holistic treatment.

I’m reminded of one of my absolute favorite worship songs called Sinking Deep by Hillsong United. Speaking as someone whose anxiety seems to be extremely rooted in fear, this is a mantra that I repeat to myself every time I feel that trickle of worry. It incorporates elements of deep breathing, mindfulness, giving over trust, giving up control, and remembering that God’s got me.

All fear removed, 

I breathe You in, 

I lean into Your love.

Oh, Your love.

DISCLAIMER: Thanks for reading the above, but whoever you are: unless you are living in my household (which I think I would have noticed), it’s very unlikely that I have any idea what sort of medical history, medication regimen, allergies, and any other health intricacies you carry. Therefore, you should NOT interpret the above as medical advice for yourself, and instead present this information to your personal clinician for consideration.

RESOURCES:

Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry by Amy Simpson

The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook By Dr. Edmund Bourne

Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God’s Voice Above all Others by Steven Furtick

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk

Truth Bombs by Danielle LaPorte

BIO:

Amanda practices at the Lindner Center of Hope in Mason and writes at AmandaPorterNP.com

Great tacos, better friends.

Friday I had a fun evening out at Olive Garden with a few ladies from church to celebrate a soon to be momma of 3! We "sprinkled" her with diapers/wipes and some cute little girl outfits :)

 Caleb went to play basketball with some friends on Saturday, so I did some editing while jamming out to some music for HOURS. As in, the 3 hour playlist I created? Yeah, I heard a few songs twice...which means I listed to the playlist in its entirety, ha!

Early in the day, we got a text-invite from our good friends, Josh and Marie, to see if we wanted to come by that evening (along with my Aunt and Uncle). Somehow the stars aligned and we were all able to make it to their new home - about 45 minutes away. After dinner Josh even said "I can't believe I just randomly texted all of you this morning to make plans, and now you're in my living room!". We haven't seen Josh and Marie (and their amazing little gals, Nora and Charlie) since my birthday last August, so it was awesome to spend some time together. They made the tastiest tacos (pork + pineapple salsa + feta cheese); holy deliciousness! Marie - I need that recipe!

The night was full of long conversations about anything and everything. Nora and I put on a "show" for everyone and sang a few songs because she was too nervous to sing by herself, she called me her best friend in the entire world, and told Caleb multiple times "I'm your girl, Caleb" I MEAN?!!?! Melt my stinkin' heart.

Sunday, we had a morning photography consultation, so sadly we missed church, but it paid off because the sweet couple booked! We talked for nearly two hours in a crowded Starbucks (the Bride is a fellow lover of skydiving and donuts, so you could say we were fast friends)! We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around before hitting up my in-laws for a homemade pizza bar and the Superbowl. I have to say, I'm sad the Falcons couldn't pull out a win, but it was a great game to watch! Also I LOVED Lady Gaga's halftime performance. As crazy as she used to be, she kept it somewhat modest and girlfriend has incredible pipes.

I hope you all had a fun weekend and aren't TOO sleepy this Monday morning! Enjoy your week, friends!

Friyay!

Random fact for your Friday: NSync's Just Got Paid came out SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO. That's enough to make me, at 25, feel old. Anyway, I can't be the only one who sings this to themselves every other Friday when they get paid?!

This week was a good one! Caleb started working on our taxes. If you follow me on instagram you'd know that Caleb and I seem to have made a silent agreement for the rest of our lives. If I provide the dinner, he will do our taxes. If you ask me, I definitely got the better end of that deal ;)

Most evenings after work (either after a workout, or just after an exhausting day) this is what I changed into. My matching skills are on POINT.

But I think my favorite moment of all was going out to dinner with Erin & Natalie! Natalie is Caleb's cousin and I just have to say, I married into the best family. She is so incredibly sweet, and she recently got engaged!! So we wanted to take her out to celebrate - and of course we chose our favorite Mexican restaurant! We were there for HOURS. Nights like that are my favorite; just having the most random conversations over some delicious food with even better friends!

Tonight I'm heading to dinner with another group of ladies from church to celebrate a soon to be momma of 3! She is pregnant with their 3rd so we're taking her out for a "diaper dinner" (which sounds kind of funny to say out loud). The rest of the weekend will be spent unplugged with my man, and I cannot WAIT!

Hope you have a fun weekend ahead, friends! Blast some N'Sync and have yourself a dance party today!

Goals: a look back & a new list

So we all survived our first month of 2017! It's still insane to me that we're smack dab in 2017. I remember when I was younger and my baby brother first started going to school; they deemed him the "Class of 2016" and I basically laughed out loud like "seriously that'll NEVER get here" just because it was so far away...and here we are! PAST that!

I decided to make quite a few goals for January that I'd been putting off for no particular reason and make them happen; no excuses! So before I dive into my new goals for February, I'd like to recap how I did on my January goals!

Lose 4-5lbs  || YES! I actually lost 6 from my starting weight and I'm feeling great. I know the scale isn't everything, but that accomplishment sure feels great!

Book a new wedding || We actually booked TWO new ones and potentially a third coming up! It feels good to be praying intentionally over our business; for God to bring us the right couples and for our business to flourish for His glory!

Track what I eat || I'm going to call this one a win. I did this for the majority of the whole month in my "Fit Happens" journal. At least 25 out of the 30 days were tracked. Some days just got away from me, but this is a HUGE improvement from last year! Intentionally writing down my meals/workouts gave me something to look forward to every day and helped me to stay on track!

Workout 15-20 times || Success! 17 times to be exact. I know I mentioned previously that I was following the Tone It Up challenge. I'm pretty proud of myself because the first 15ish days of the challenge I absolutely crushed it! I fell off the workout wagon a bit in week 3 due to our busy evening schedule but picked it right back up in week 4 and am feeling great again!

Cook more often || YES! I've been loving how much we're cooking at home. A huge accomplishment has been meal planning and STICKING TO IT, especially on the weekends. We used to eat out a lot, and that's been cut down SIGNIFICANTLY. Some nights I'll cook solo, but I really enjoy the nights Caleb and I can cook together. A few yummy things we've made; Enchilada Soup, Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti Squash, Chicken Alfredo Bake, BBQ Chicken Stuffed Peppers, Chicken w/ Asparagus & Sweet Potato Skillet, Creamy Herb Chicken & a few one sheet recipes (my fav)!

No coffee || I did it! No coffee at all this month. Anytime I had a meeting at Starbucks I'd get a non-coffee drink and it wasn't so bad. Now I'm just trying to decide if I want to keep my streak going or enjoy a small cup of french vanilla at work this week! ;)

Finish a book || womp womp. This didn't happen. I feel like anytime I make a book related goal it doesn't happen, so maybe when I stop making book goals, it'll happen and I'll actually finish a few? 

Pay off a good chunk of debt || Caleb and I put our biggest payment ever towards debt this month and we're so so grateful to be able to say that. One step closer!!!! We should be out of debt by summertime and can finally start looking for a house!

Overall I'd say it was an amazing month. I'm learning to be better about giving myself grace when necessary and remember that not every day will be perfect! Moving on to my goals for February!

File our taxes || Caleb does this for us every year and I do a lot of the back-end stuff like totaling up business expenses/etc., but it's always a great to have that behind us!

Plan a Valentine's date-night in for Caleb and I || Self explanatory. We love staying in and since we're trying hard to keep paying down debt I'm going to be planning a fun themed night in for us!

Prep some posts for our photography biz blog || Which can be found through our website here! I'd love to recap some recent weddings we've photographed and also highlight some sessions/seniors/etc.! I definitely won't stop blogging here, but if there's anything wedding/photography related that you would like to hear about, please let me know!

Wake up earlier || I'd like to get a few workouts in throughout the month BEFORE work. I'd also just like to enjoy my mornings more and not feel so rushed. My Nanny used to always wake up a few hours before she'd need to be ready for her day; she'd make coffee, read the paper, and just relax. I've always envied that, but there's nothing stopping me but myself! So, time to make a change!

Schedule a photo session for Caleb and I || Recently, I was asked to find a photo of Caleb and I that was of "good quality" but not a wedding photo, and I basically had NONE. We have plenty of selfies, and well, that's about it. We're photographers who preach "hey, get your photos taken every year" and hardly make time for our OWN sessions - so this Spring we're changing that finally and I'm SO excited!!

Order a photo book || I've made this a goal PLENTY of times, and for some reason I never make it a priority. THAT HAS TO CHANGE! I was recently looking through some of my SIL's photo books and realized how I really need to do this asap!

Whoops. That ended up being a really long post! If you made it through that list of absolute randomness, I seriously applaud you. Reward yourself with a box of Girl Scout cookies ;) and have a great day, friends! It's almost the weekend!

Currently {February}

February is here! This seems crazy to me. I shouldn't be surprised, every month goes by as quick as the last and I'm starting to realize that's just life! Anne and her co-host Erin are back with another Currently link up so of course, I'm taking part!

Currently I'm...

Packing: on the muscle ;) well, trying to at least! I worked out 17 times total in January and I can feel my body getting stronger day by day, move by move. Sure, I had a few off days but that's just life, and I'm learning to give myself some grace here and there.

Jonesing: for some cookies. I don't normally crave cookies in particular but this Girl Scout season is killing me! So far I've refrained from buying any boxes, but there's nothing in the world like frozen thin mints!! Am I right?!

Texting: my sweet friend Olivia. She was our bride model for the styled shoot on Sunday and I can't stop sending her sneak peeks. I try not to do that TOO much, so the "wow factor" is still there when clients receive their full galleries but I MEAN HONESTLY, how can you NOT share images like this?! So much beauty. She and Sean are too stinkin' cute!

Reading: like three books at once. I've got to just stick to one and finish it! I'm also trying to get back in my regular groove of blog reading!

Hearting: my hunk of a husband. Seriously, there are so many things I could say about him but I'm just so thankful he continues to love and pursue me day in and day out. This will be our 8th valentines day together - WHAT!?!! I'm pretty excited this year because I called dibs on planning our evening and I'm planning a fun date-night-in for us! I can't wait!

I hope everyone has a great day - make it count! I'll be back tomorrow with my goals post, and to find out how I did on my January goals!